The Bill Ayers Problem

A reflective statement by a Museum of Education patron describing a “personal reconciliation” with “the Bill Ayers Problem.”

by Elizabeth Powers-Costello
(September 2, 2008)

Bill Ayers’ research, writing, and lectures in the field of education have inspired teacher educators and pre-service teachers alike. He articulately describes what is possible in schools for all children, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, and for all teachers despite the fact that they must face many stressors in a given day. As a parent and former preschool teacher, Bill speaks from a place of empathy and insight. As a teacher-educator, he provides both theoretical and practical means to support teachers and students in their endeavor to learn and develop. Recently Bill spoke at our university to a group of students and faculty where he shared ideas about caring for and supporting the learning needs of all children. He also took the time to meet with us one on one to learn about our individual work. He was receptive and supportive to all. Subsequently, I ran into him at a national conference where despite the fact that he was very busy, he took the time to discuss my research and expressed a willingness to read an article that I was working on. This type of personal attention is rare among authors of his stature and is especially meaningful for new professors such as myself.

Those who criticize Bill need to know the man that educators know. Consider the following statement that Bill shared in a recent article. “We teach to learn, we teach to stretch, we teach next to, not above, our students” (Ayers, 2005, p.1). These are the types of ideals that are at the heart of Bill’s work and that continue to inspire teachers and teacher-educators alike.

William C. Ayers (2005). Teaching toward Freedom: Early Childhood Education and the Challenges Ahead, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 26:3, pp. 321-325.

to return to The Bill Ayers Problem
to return to personal reconciliations